Bengaluru: A 15% hike in fee has been consented to by the state government for postgraduate medical and dental education. This was confirmed by the Medical Education Minister, Sharanprakash R. Patil.

The hike of fee will now have the 2018-19 Medical College fee structure reflect Rs. 7.59 lakh for institutional quota seats and Rs.5.06 lakh for government quota seats.

In the case of dental seats, the institutional quota will now cost Rs.4.04 lakh and the government quota – Rs.2.58 lakh.The document verification and counselling process schedule will be announced later this week.

Though the state authorities were reluctant to hike fee they conceded due to private college managements, who refused to become signatories to elections being around the corner and the private college managements refusing to become signatories to the consensual agreement, unless the fee was hiked, said sources to the Hindu.

The Karnataka Professional Colleges Foundation and the Karnataka Religious and Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges Association had initially wanted a 50% hike, stating the reason as the prevailing higher fee in medical and dental colleges in other States.